‘Very Surprising’ — People React to Day-old Baby’s Death near Shickshinny

UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- By the looks of the home along Route 239 near Shickshinny, it's a pretty ordinary fall day in November.

That was not the case a day earlier. The property in Union Township was taped off, with state police, the county coroner, and a forensics team scouring the property for several hours.

"When I heard it this morning, it was really just horror," Jesse Turner of Shickshinny said. "I said 'Who would do something like that?'"

According to investigators, a 1-day-old baby was born at the home Friday but did not survive.

Police say the baby's mother, whose name has not been released, was at another location in Wilkes-Barre before being transported to the hospital.

The owner of the home, Crystal Bach, had no comment for Newswatch 16 when we stopped by, but did take to Facebook Saturday night, saying: "We are all OK and safe. We are just asking that everyone please respect our privacy right now as we try to deal with and get through all of this as a family."

Those in the Shickshinny area say this bizarre story has many people curious as to what exactly happened.

"Well, it was on the news last night, and I was shocked because you don't hear anything like that around here," Beverly Mikula of Shickshinny said. "Very surprising."

Newswatch 16 spoke with a man from Shickshinny who is a great-grandfather. He tells us he saw the news of the baby's death this morning, and it hit him hard.

"Oh, very close to home," Turner added. I love my grandkids and I love my great-grandkids. It's just amazing, why somebody would do that to a baby. It's a very laid back community. You very seldom see anything like that happen."

State police say this is an ongoing investigation, pending the results of an autopsy, which is scheduled for some time in the next few days. Investigators add they are not looking for any suspects.

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Tammy Guthrie

straubdavid9

From the latest on this story …..Andrea Litter gave birth to a baby at a home on Route 239 in Union Township. Litter told troopers while the child was still alive, crying, and breathing, she placed the baby in grocery bags and a clear garbage bag. Litter then put those bags still containing the one-day-old child near a burn pit and then left.